"Scorched earth tactics". What is happening in the Bakhmut sector

A few weeks after the Russians entered Soledar, the situation escalated in the entire Bakhmut sector. Street fighting is already taking place in the city. The work of MLRS and artillery does not stop.

To understand what is happening in the hottest spot of the frontline and what the situation is like there, hromadske talked to the soldiers defending Bakhmut.

Urban battles

All of our interlocutors postpone the scheduled short interview several times. They explain: “the situation is complicated”, “it's not possible yet, there was an assault”, and “everything is changing very quickly”.

Finally, Yevhen Cherepnia, a 93rd Brigade fighter, gets on the phone for a longer period. We are talking on the phone, and every minute Yevhen's conversation is interrupted by the sounds of a shell hitting somewhere very close to him.

“The fighting has moved from the outskirts to the urban environment. But not all of Bakhmut consists of high-rise buildings — there are areas with detached houses and taller buildings, so in some places, the fighting continues on the outskirts,” the fighter says. He explains that the situation in Bakhmut has been building up for the past few months.

“It was an evolutionary process, and eventually it would have come to urban fighting anyway. For more than 5 months, everything was going on here, with the Russians approaching at a slow pace. But I wouldn't say that the situation has escalated much, as the pressure on the city has been so great since September. It (the situation) has become more difficult because of the terrain and weather conditions.”

Yevhen's unit has been in the Bakhmut area since mid-August. All this time, the Russians have been acting in the same way: they have been throwing a lot of manpower with almost no armored vehicles. But in recent days, they have started using more MLRS, cannon artillery, and mortars.

“While in Kharkiv Oblast the 93rd Brigade had artillery duels and battles involving a large number of tanks and armored personnel carriers, here we mostly have contact firefights, daily assaults with an unmeasured amount of enemy manpower. The difference lies in the involvement of aviation, because in the fall, in the Bakhmut sector, aviation flew at our positions at least four times a day, but now they have reduced its number,” says Yevhen.

The scenario of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk

According to military analyst Dmytro Sniehirov, the sharp escalation in the Bakhmut sector is due to a change in tactics that has been observed since the Kremlin appointed Gerasimov and Lapin, who led the operation in the area of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk.

“Previously, for months, Wagner Group tried to storm Bakhmut and engage in street battles, which meant a large number of deaths on the attacking side. Now there is a radical change in tactics. They are attacking from the flanks near Klishchiivka and are trying to reach the Bakhmut — Kostiantynivka highway. Lapin has actually implemented the scenario that led to the fall of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk — taking fire control of the main supply routes,” explains the military analyst.

In addition, the Russians have deployed Solntsepek heavy flamethrower systems in the direction of Soledar, Vuhledar, and Bakhmut.

“The use of such weapons in urban areas is prohibited because they burn everything within a 2 km radius. Their use will lead to many civilian casualties. This is a scorched earth tactic,” Sniehyrov said.

Yevhen Cherepnia says that the occupiers managed to partially establish control over the Bakhmut — Kostiantynivka highway.

"The loss of Soledar is bad news because it opens up space for Russian maneuver, but the Russian advance south of Bakhmut in the area of Klishchiivka is more problematic because they are gradually taking fire control of the road. But if the front is stabilized, which is why the 93rd Brigade was deployed here, this problem with Soledar will be leveled. Now there are daily battles, we are trying to stabilize the situation,” says Cherepnia.

A burial ground for Russians

According to ISW, since the fall of 2022, the Wagner Group in Bakhmut has suffered significant losses — more than 4,100 mercenaries have been killed and 10,000 were injured. However, it is impossible to accurately calculate the enemy's losses.

“Previously, it was mostly Wagner Group mercenaries and prisoners who were advancing in the Bakhmut sector, but now, when urban fighting starts, we see paratroopers. We haven't captured anyone yet, but our colleagues said that there are already Russian paratroopers,” says serviceman Yevhen.

Back in April, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu told Putin that the Russian army was starting the second phase, which would end with full control of Donbas. However, this has not happened.

“Bakhmut is the first line of defense. The next cities on the defense line are Chasiv Yar, Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk. These are fortress cities. Even if we assume that the Ukrainian Armed Forces leave Bakhmut, it means that we will retreat to new defense lines prepared in advance in an organized manner,” explains analyst Sniehyrov. “Donetsk Oblast is a burial ground for Russians. And although some experts said earlier that the loss of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk was a defeat in the war, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have since liberated Kharkiv and Kherson, so the statements that the loss of Soledar and Bakhmut will dramatically affect the course of the war are not true.”